The Most Real Thing
by ducky76
Summary: no longer a oneshot... 15 years after the Bladebreakers won their second World Championship, things have changed, and one thing will never be what it once was ever again. REVIEW!
1. I Love You Tyson Granger

It's been about fifteen years since I last saw the Bladebreakers all together. The World Championships against Zeo and Gordo had been their last battle together as a team. In fact it had been their last battle on any team. After that year, Kai took over his grandfather's old mansion in Russia and retired from beyblading for good. No one heard much of him after that, but he did keep in touch every couple of months. Max moved back to America and helped his mother with beyblading research, until she got sick. Judy got some type of cancer when Maxie was about 15, and she died after 6 months. That was a really tough time for him, but he fortunately made it through. He ended up going to a collage to become an actual engineer of beyblading, so that he could create beyblades and continue his mother's work. Ray went back to China to teach younger generations of his village to beyblade. He ended up marrying Mariah once she had turned sixteen, the age of adulthood in his village back at home. I didn't see much of those three after the Bladebreakers split up. I only saw them when they came occasionally to stay in Japan, which Kai only did once. I did get to stay at Kai's mansion one time about a year later though, when he had invited everyone to come for the week. Unfortunately that time, Max hadn't been able to come because his mother had been sick at the time and Kenny just hadn't been allowed to go because he had family staying at his house. In fact, after the World Tournaments, there was not one single time that we all saw each other together. There was always someone missing when we got together, so our group was incomplete.   
  
The only people I saw after that were Kenny and Tyson. Well, I did go to school with them after all. I still see Kenny a lot now. He lives right around the block from my family. What happened to Kenny? He became a scientist of course. We all knew Kenny was a genius, and he's putting it to good use, obviously in the area of beyblading. He says he's on the verge of a major breakthrough in beyblading technology. He's trying to create a beyblade that uses magnetic forces in a different way than any other. It's supposed to reverse the spin of its opponent's blade or something. I'm not quite sure what that is supposed to do to help someone beyblade, but my 6-year-old son, who wants to be a champion beyblader, says that it's a cool idea. As far as Tyson goes, I saw him a lot during school when he decided to train new beybladers. I think I should just tell the entire story though.  
  
I didn't think much of him when I first met him. He was just a stupid loud-mouth that liked to get on my nerves. He was lazy and obnoxious, and his ability to trash-talk was quite amazing. That guy could out-eat anyone, even the biggest person on the planet, and still have a huge appetite. It was absolutely appalling to me that someone could ever be like that. I was shocked that such a glutton ever existed. Not only did he eat enough food to end world hunger, but he also slept more than anyone else I have ever met before in my life. He had the attention span of a dead bug, unless it had to do with food or beyblading.   
  
Beyblading. His favorite hobby. But I could never have called it a "hobby." It was a sport. No. A way of life. It was his entire world. I didn't understand it at first, but I knew it must have been important because he put his whole heart into every battle he fought.  
  
Why did he have to be so annoying? He had the loudest mouth in the world! He loved to make my life a living hell, and he never did his school work. True. That is something that should not annoy me, but it did. I guess it was because I knew that he was selling himself short. He wasn't trying, but I knew he has so much potential. It's not like I liked Tyson or anything. I tolerated him… Okay, okay. I did like him. He was just so impossible to like that he was likeable, if that makes any sense at all. The fact that he could drive people so crazy made them crazy about him.  
  
What did I like about Tyson? Everything that I hated about him. I loved that he annoyed me and that he was lazy and gluttonous. I loved that he was obsessed with his beyblade. I loved being driven crazy by him. It wasn't just that that made him likeable. He was strong and determined. He never gave up on anything once he set his mind on it. He was constantly proving himself to be the stubborn ass everyone saw him as, yet people respected him for it. Not only that either. Tyson could see good in things where no one else would even think to look for it. He was just that kind of person. And once you had his friendship, you had it for life. There was pretty much nothing you could do to turn him away from you. It could be annoying at times, but then again, he was always there for people when they needed it most. Tyson was just an amazing friend.  
  
I remember every single detail about him. I remember every little thing that annoyed me, and I remember every face he ever made. I remember how cute he used to look when he was overconfident. I remember how bright his eyes got when he was proud of something he had done. When he was angry, he used to run away to the beach or the bridge when he wanted to be found. When he wanted time to himself, he used to practice train with Dragoon. The most intense look I ever saw him have was in his eyes every time his spinning blade touched the ground. It was like he connected with it, and everything went right for him as long as that blade spun. He had always worn that goofy smile, but when something really had happened, a genuine smile found its way to his face. I loved that smile, because I always felt like it was just for me, a secret that the two of us shared. I've never seen anything more realistic than his smile. It told of truths, good and bad, yet offered hope at the same time. It offered a world where both could exist together, and that world was one where all I had to do was see him smile.  
  
It's been ten years since I have seen him, since I have seen that smile. I must say that I miss him a lot. After graduating high school, he left. Japan was too small for someone as amazing as Tyson. We'd all known that he was meant to do great things, and he went out into the world to do just that. He moved somewhere in America. He started working in a beyblade research facility in Chicago. It was an even more important one that Max works at. Tyson was an excavator for the facility, and they sent him to so many beautiful places to find artifacts of ancient beyblading. From what Maxie told me, Tyson became quite the flirt and was constantly bringing beautiful girls to these exotic places. Sounds just like Tyson huh? He was always such a show off.  
  
I eventually lost touch with Tyson, along with the rest of the team. Kenny was the only one that I remained close with. The others weren't even at my wedding! We just weren't that close anymore. When I was 23, my husband Chris and I had a son, who I named Tyson. I never told Chris why I named our son Tyson, but I never really knew myself. I guess it was just for the sake of memories.  
  
Two days ago, I got something very shocking in the mail. Every morning, I get the newspaper, drink some coffee, and get my son up. It's routine for me, but what I found wasn't. As I looked at the first page of the newspaper, the title of one of the articles caught my attention.  
  
_Former Beyblade Champion Dies at 29_  
  
I couldn't believe what I was reading. Apparently, Tyson had been trying to stop some teenagers from steeling a really important artifact from the site when one of them pulled out a knife and stabbed him right through the heart. After I read the article over and over again, I called Kenny and told him to read the paper. He was just as shocked as I was. I went and dug up the others' numbers and called Max first. He'd still been friends with Tyson, and he knew what was going on. It had all been true. Tyson, my Tyson was gone.  
  
No. He isn't my Tyson, but he could have been. I always regretted the fact that neither of us had tried. Neither of us tried to give a chance to our world, the world I saw when he smiled. And now the prospect of that world is gone. I'll never see that smile ever again. I regret not taking the chance to when I could have. Ten years wasted and to be paid for. Nothing is real without him to reassure it, and nothing can ever be again. Because the most real thing I ever saw is gone forever. But if it's gone, I want it leave with the most real thing I will ever say.  
  
"I love you Tyson Granger." 


	2. Max at the Funeral

I'm back with a new chapter. I'm going to do a POV of every Bladebreaker during the funeral as suggested by a review I got. Then after I'm done with those I will make the final chapter about Hilary after the funeral.

Max's POV

It's been so long since I've seen them all at once. I guess that after the team split a lot changed for us. I must say that I've missed the way things used to be. Don't get me wrong. I love my new life. I've got great friends and a good job. But wouldn't anybody miss their youth? Of course I miss the days where we used to just train or relax all together on the beach to the sounds of Hilary and Tyson arguing. Okay. We never really did get to 'relax,' but we definitely did have fun most of the time when we weren't trying to save our bit beasts. I've wanted to see everyone for such a long time. I guess I have to admit that deep down I've secretly wished for us all to be together again.

Well, I got my wish and a lot of good it did me. Now we're all here in Japan together again. Too bad it isn't on the best of terms. Tyson is being buried in the graveyard next to his parents. I guess I forgot to read in the rule book for wishing that you had to specify on what you wanted a little more.

I still can't believe it. Tyson had remained my best friend all of these years, even after I had lost touch with everyone else. He was there for me more than anyone else when I lost my mother. He was there for me for everything. I can't even call him just my best friend. That would do our relationship no justice. He was like part of my family. No one else was closer to me than Tyson. Now my brother is gone and it just doesn't seem real.

I wish I could say that the others and I could be here for each other, but I don't know if that's true or not. It's been so long since we were close, and, like I said before, things changed. We all changed and grew apart. At least I know one person is here for me. About a year ago I was reacquainted with an 'old flame,' one that was actually from my days with the Bladebreakers. You see, Mariam moved to America after she got bored with her village. She always did seem to be the kind to get bored quickly. Luckily she hasn't gotten bored with me, or else she wouldn't have said yes when I proposed to her 6 months later.

Yes, that's right. I am going to marry Mariam in 2 months, and Tyson was supposed to be my best man. He was actually the only person that knew about us being engaged. I wanted to meet with all of the Bladebreakers and tell them in person to invite them all to the wedding, but not like this. I never wanted it to happen like this. Now it just doesn't seem like the right time to tell them.

Tyson's grandfather is at the podium right now, giving the eulogy that I'd been asked to give. I just couldn't do it myself. I couldn't be the one to say good-bye to him. It just seems to final if I do it myself. So I'm here watching Grandpa speak. I'm trying to listen to his words, but my attention is drifting in and out of them. I guess I'll just opt to watch him then.

I never noticed that Grandpa was so old, but then again it has been 15 years since I've spent a lot of time around him. Or maybe it's because of the grief he must be going through right now. It's not fair that he has to put his own grandson to rest before himself. He already lost his son and daughter-in-law, and now the last of his line is gone. I think he feels worst in this entire situation.

Actually there is one person that might possibly be feeling worse than him. I can't help but glance at her and her family all through this ceremony. She seems to be trying to hide just how much she's hurting, and though only a few tears are falling down her face, all of the pain is shown in her eyes. Even after all these years I can still see by the look in her eyes. It tells me all I need to know.

She's been in love with Tyson still all of these years, even though she married another man. She still loves Tyson.

I'd be lying if I said Tyson hadn't still been in love with her. He used to talk to me about going to Japan and taking her away to some tropical island with him where they could be together forever. It had torn him apart when he'd heard that she'd married another man, but he tried to let go. He used to take girls with him on his trips for work like he'd wanted to do with Hilary. He would show off for them all and have fun, but every time he'd come back he'd seem to be missing another little piece of himself. He kept trying to forget what had been between him and Hilary, but the truth was he couldn't stop thinking about her. On more than one occasion Tyson had actually come to my apartment late at night looking like a wreck. He'd tell me that he hadn't been able to sleep because he'd been up all night thinking about Hilary again.

Tyson's heart had always belonged to Hilary and hers to him. They'd both tried to deny it and hide it from everyone, but they'd never been able to hide it from themselves. Why else did Hilary name her son Tyson? I bet she had a fun time explaining that one to her husband. I wonder if her husband knows about her and Tyson. I wonder if it makes him feel like second best. I hate to say it, but that really is what he is to Hilary. Tyson was her first and true love. I've always doubted that she loves Chris as much as she loves, and now that I've come here and seen her again I know I was right. That look in her eyes tells it all.

Hilary must regret that she and Tyson never took the chance. She must know how much she's missed out on all of these years. I can't imagine that kind of pain. I mean, yes, of course I miss Tyson. But at least I don't have to live the rest of my life knowing that I didn't take every opportunity to have fun and be around him. Hilary does because she gave up on that. Now she'll have to remember that every moment she could have spent with Tyson was spent with another man. Regret's a bad feeling. She probably wishes sometimes that she had chosen Tyson and the life he could have offered her. I bet sometimes she'll even hate herself for not having him in her life. I'd hate to live with that kind of weight on my shoulders.

It sounds as if Grandpa is finishing up the eulogy, so I guess I'd better pay attention to him. I'm sure that I've been crying the entire time, but I half expected Grandpa to be too strong to cry. In all of the years I knew the old man, I've never seen him cry, but now streams of tears are flowing down his cheeks. His head is bowed as he tries to say the last words. He finally manages to get them past his lips as he sobs. "Good-bye Tyson."

I think I'm going to be sick. And to think that I thought it would be too hard to say it myself. It's just as hard hearing the words come from someone else. They're lowering the casket into the ground now. I don't think I can watch. I can't believe this is the last I'll ever really see of Tyson. It just isn't fair that we had to lose him. I want Tyson back so badly. I can feel Mariam squeeze my hand reassuringly. It's almost as if she can sense exactly how I'm feeling. "It's okay Maxie," she whispers to me. I'm so lucky to have her here with me. I don't know how else I would make it through this.

Before we go back to Grandpa's house there is something I need to do. I look at Mariam and she nods to me knowingly. "I'll be right back," I tell her as I walk off towards Hilary's family. "Hey Hilary," I say to my old friend. She turns around and looks at me with mournful eyes. Those eyes don't suit someone like Hilary. She always had the will to fight, and that fiery spirit could always be seen in her eyes. Now they show only sadness and emptiness. Does her husband see this in her eyes or is he blind to the fact that she was so in love with Tyson?

"It's been a long time Max." Her voice is cracking as she talks to me. I guess it's kind of hard for her to see any of the Bladebreakers again after what has happened. "Chris, can you and Tyson go wait in the car? I'll be right there."

I watch as Chris leads her son away and she turns back to me. "How have you been?" she asks me.

"Better than you I'm sure," I tell her. "You're having a tough time handling this aren't you?"

"We all are," she says pointedly.

I can't stand the sound in her voice. She just seems so unlike the Hilary I knew in my childhood. "Tyson always thought about you and constantly talked about you. I really wish he had come to see you though. He would've been so happy."

Tears are welling up in her eyes again, forcing me to look down, away from her face. Damn it. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Maybe I shouldn't do this. "I know," she whispers to me. "I should have tried to see him."

What? She isn't going to get mad at me for saying that? Then it's settled. I have to do this. "You need to know how much he loved you Hil. He loved you up until his last moments."

"I... know..." Hilary chokes out between sobs. "I... I..."

"You love him too," I finish for her. "Which is why I have to give you this." I pull out a small, wooden box from the pocket of my jacket and hold it out to her. "Tyson took this with him everywhere, and I know he'd want you to have it."

"What is it?"

You'll have to find that out for yourself Hilary. It's yours now. "I have to go. Good-bye." I'm pulling her into a warm embrace. I doubt that helps at all, but it's the most I can do for her now. Then I leave, my job being complete.

Nearby, Ray, Kai, Mariam, and Kenny are talking together. A very pregnant Mariah is standing beside them, holding the hand of their 5-year-old Jamie. I met him 2 years ago when Ray visited America for a week. The kid's grown quite a bit since then though. I hardly recognize him beside the fact that he looks exactly like Ray.

I take my place beside my fiancé and greet the others sadly. I look away from them for an instant to watch Hilary walk off, not towards her family but to the nearby beach. Bye Hilary. Take care of yourself for Tyson's sake.

End of chapter 2... R&R!! please!!


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